Wednesday, March 19, 2008

A small group of protesters will gather in front of the Army Recruiting Center in Oakland tonight to knit stump socks for amputees returning from Iraq. The protest comes on the 5th anniversary of the war in Iraq. Organizer Edith Bell says they hope to bring attention to the number of service men and women coming home with physical and mental wounds. She says the site was chosen because the recruiters paint a rose picture of the war to young recruits and they feel the other side of the story needs to be told. The women do not plan to block the entrance to the center or traffic on the sidewalk. Members of the “Raging Grannies” and “Women’s International League for Peace” will be holding similar knit-ins at recruiting centers across the country. The items made will be donated to the local VA hospitals.